Apparatuses, systems, and methods for graphical progress interfaces for dynamic transportation networks

ABSTRACT

The disclosed computer-implemented method may include receiving, by a transportation requestor device, progress information that indicates progress of a transportation provider toward a request location, presenting, via a graphical user interface of the transportation requestor device, the progress of the transportation provider toward the request location with a graphical representation of the transportation provider according to the progress information, receiving, by the transportation requestor device, contextual information from a server that explains the progress of the transportation provider as indicated by the progress information, and changing, via the graphical user interface of the transportation requestor device, the graphical representation of the transportation provider with a graphical representation of the contextual information. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are disclosed.

BACKGROUND

Some transportation services may provide transportation totransportation requestors using transportation providers to meet theneeds of those requesting transportation services on an on-demand basis.However, while on-demand transportation services may provide convenienceand flexibility to those requesting transportation, some on-demandtransportation services may also create confusion, uncertainty, oranxiety while transportation requestors wait for the transportation toarrive due to the lack of sufficient transportation provider travelprogress information being provided to transportation requestor devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary embodimentsand are a part of the specification. Together with the followingdescription, these drawings demonstrate and explain various principlesof the instant disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example of a transportation provider ina dynamic transportation network making slow travel progress withincongested traffic.

FIG. 2 illustrates a transportation provider device and a transportationrequestor device receiving progress information.

FIG. 3 illustrates a transportation provider device and a transportationrequestor device receiving contextual information about a transportationprovider's travel progress.

FIG. 4 illustrates a transportation provider device and a transportationrequestor device displaying an animation associated with contextualinformation about a transportation provider's travel progress.

FIG. 5 illustrates a transportation provider device and a transportationrequestor device displaying contextual information about atransportation provider's slow travel progress.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example system for providing progressinformation and contextual information to a graphical user interface ina transportation requestor's device.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method for enhancing a graphicaluser interface of a transportation requestor device with a graphicalrepresentation of contextual information associated with atransportation provider's travel progress.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example transportationrequestor/transportation provider management environment.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example data collection and applicationmanagement system.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and descriptionsindicate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. While theexemplary embodiments described herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detailherein. However, the exemplary embodiments described herein are notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, theinstant disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is generally directed to providing progressinformation and contextual information to transportation requestorsmatched to transportation providers in dynamic transportation networks.When transportation requestors request a transportation service they maydesire information about when the transportation requestor will arrive.Transportation requestors may also desire contextual information thatexplains the progress the transportation provider is making whiletraveling to the requestor. If the transportation provider is delayed,the requestor may desire contextual information as to the cause of thedelay. In some examples, a method of providing the contextualinformation is through a graphical user interface on the requestor'ssmartphone.

Accordingly, as may be appreciated, the systems and methods describedherein may improve the functioning of a computer (e.g., a smartphoneand/or a server) that implements graphical progress interfaces fordynamic transportation networks. For example, these systems and methodsmay improve the functioning of the computer by providing an improvedgraphical interface. Additionally or alternatively, these systems andmethods may improve the functioning of the computer by providingprogress information in the form of computer-generated graphics. In someexamples, these systems and methods may improve the functioning of acomputer by reducing repeated travel progress queries from atransportation requestor device (and, e.g., thereby freeing computingresources for other tasks, such as those directly and/or indirectlyinvolved in dynamic transportation matching).

Furthermore, for the reasons mentioned above and to be discussed ingreater detail below, the systems and methods described herein mayprovide advantages to dynamic transportation management, graphical userinterfaces, and/or the field of transportation. In addition, thesesystems and methods may provide advantages to vehicles (whether pilotedby a human driver or autonomous) that operate as a part of a dynamictransportation network. For example, the graphical interfaces describedherein may reduce user confusion and thereby help to reduce the numberof transportation request cancellations. By reducing the number ofcancellations, the systems and methods described herein may improve theefficiency of a dynamic transportation network (e.g., reducing otherwisewasted efforts by transportation providers to meet with transportationrequestors). For example, the vehicles may complete transportation tasksmore quickly, more efficiently (e.g., in terms of fuel, vehicle wear,etc.), and/or more safely (e.g., by driving, on average, shorterdistances to complete the same transportation objective).

As described above, a transportation requestor may desire travelprogress information of a transportation provider using a graphical userinterface (GUI) on an electronic device. A transportation requestor mayuse an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, computer, laptop,virtual assistant device, head mounted display device, etc.) to requestthe transportation service and/or to monitor travel progress of thetransportation provider. In some examples, a transportation requestormay receive travel progress information of the transportation providerusing a GUI on an electronic device included in a console of thetransportation provider's vehicle. In some examples, a transportationrequestor may receive travel progress information of the transportationprovider using a GUI on an electronic device of the transportationprovider. In some examples, a transportation requestor may receivetravel progress information of the transportation provider using a GUIon an electronic device of another transportation requestor. In someexamples, a transportation provider may use an electronic device (e.g.,a smartphone, telematics device, vehicle interface device, tablet,computer, laptop, virtual assistant device, head mounted display device,etc.) to receive a request for the transportation service and/or to senddata relating to the travel progress of the transportation provider.

In some examples, a transportation requestor may use a GUI on thetransportation requestor device to view and monitor the travel progressof a transportation provider. The GUI may be a type of user interfacethat allows a transportation requestor to interact with an electronicdevice through graphical representations including, without limitation,graphical icons, graphical animations, and visual indicators. The GUImay display, without limitation, a street map, pickup locations, andicons representing vehicles, vehicle conditions, vehicle identification,driver identification, estimated time of arrival (ETA), animations ofvehicle progress, traffic conditions, text information, notifications,landmarks, point of interest, and satellite images.

In some examples, a transportation requestor may specify a meetinglocation at which the transportation provider may meet thetransportation requestor in order to pick up the transportationrequestor to begin the transportation service. In some examples, thetransportation requestor may specify a street address or a landmark as ameeting location. In some examples, the meeting location may bespecified as the location of the transportation requestor at the time ofthe request. The location of the transportation requestor may bedetermined by a global navigation satellite system receiver (e.g., GPS)and/or multilateration of radio signals between multiple wireless basestations.

In some examples, the GUI may provide icons overlaid on a street map toindicate the transportation provider's travel progress towards themeeting location. In some examples, an icon representing a vehicle maybe overlaid on the street map and the location of the vehicle icon maybe shown at a location on the map corresponding to the location of thetransportation provider sent by the transportation provider device. TheGUI may also show the vehicle icon moving on the map with a motioncorresponding to periodic updates of the location of the transportationprovider sent by the transportation provider device.

In some examples, the transportation requestor device may receivecontextual information that explains the travel progress of thetransportation provider. The contextual information may explainconditions related to the travel progress of the transportation providerincluding, without limitation, the speed of travel of the transportationprovider, the traffic conditions within which the transportationprovider is traveling, braking conditions, and the condition of progressinformation sent by the transportation provider. When a transportationrequestor is monitoring the travel progress of a matched transportationprovider, the requestor may be viewing the movement of an iconrepresenting a vehicle of the transportation requestor on a GUI of therequestor's electronic device. The vehicle icon may be overlaid on astreet map showing a route of travel of the transportation provider to ameeting place with the requestor. The GUI may show the vehicle iconmoving on the map as the vehicle progresses. The GUI may use progressinformation from the transportation provider in order to show the travelprogress on the map. The progress information may be limited toinformation related to the location and bearing of the transportationprovider. In some examples, the progress information may includelocation and/or bearing information periodically sent from thetransportation provider to the transportation requestor's device. If thetransportation requestor stops receiving the progress information, forreasons described in more detail below, the GUI may stop showing themovement of the vehicle on the map. The transportation requestor maybelieve the vehicle has stopped moving and is no longer making progresstowards the requestor, thereby causing anxiety for the requestor. Insome examples, the vehicle may actually continue to make progresstowards the requestor but the GUI may have stopped showing the progress.An electronic device (e.g., a server) may detect the lack of progressinformation being sent to the requestor and may send contextualinformation to the requestor to explain the progress of thetransportation provider. In some examples, the electronic device (e.g.,server) may detect a lack of all progress information or a lack of aportion of the progress information. The contextual information mayrelieve the anxiety of the requestor by explaining the progress of thetransportation provider in an animation of the travel progress on theGUI. The contextual information may use various sources of data(described in more detail below) to predict the location and travelprogress of the transportation provider in order to generate theanimation. The animation of the travel progress may show a vehicle iconrepresenting the transportation provider moving on the map by using thecontextual information in a fashion similar to showing the travelprogress using a vehicle icon moving on the map using the progressinformation.

In some examples, the transportation requestor may receive progressinformation including position and bearing from the transportationprovider while the provider is making diminished or slow progresstowards the meeting location. The slow progress indicated by theprogress information may cause anxiety for the requestor who may desirecontextual information to explain the cause of the slow progress. Insome examples, a transportation provider may make slow progress due totraffic congestion, traffic lights, and/or road construction. In someexamples, the contextual information may be presented to thetransportation requestor in the GUI by showing illuminated brake lightson the vehicle icon to indicate the slow travel progress.

In some examples, the GUI may enhance the graphical representation ofthe transportation provider's progress with a graphical representationof the contextual information. The GUI may enhance the graphicalrepresentation of the transportation provider's progress by displayingan icon representing contextual information differently from displayingan icon representing progress information. The GUI may display agraphical representation of the contextual information by variousmethods including, without limitation, enhancing the display of avehicle icon as opaque, blurred, cloudy, darkened, shadowed, or dimmed.In some examples, the GUI may display a graphical representation of thecontextual information by enhancing the display of various components ofthe vehicle icon including, without limitation, brake lights, turnsignals, head lights, vehicle sensors, vehicle actuators, and dash camimages. In some examples, the GUI may display a graphical representationof contextual information that indicates the driving conditions of thetransportation provider. When a transportation provider is travelingslowly and/or is applying the brakes, the graphical representation maybe displayed as a vehicle icon with illuminated brake lights. When atransportation provider is signaling to turn, the graphicalrepresentation may be displayed as a vehicle icon with a turn signalactivated indicating the direction of the turn. The informationindicating the transportation provider is signaling to turn may beprovided from the transportation provider's vehicle and/or imagescollected from outside the vehicle. In some examples, when atransportation provider is in congested traffic, the graphicalrepresentation may be displayed as a vehicle icon showing dash camimages from the transportation provider. In some examples, the GUI mayenhance the graphical representation of the transportation provider'sprogress with a graphical representation of the contextual informationwhen the progress of the transportation provider differs from therequestor's expectations of the travel progress. For example, if the GUIis showing the requestor a vehicle icon traveling on an expected routetowards the meeting location, and the transportation provider hasinitiated a turn that deviates from the expected route, the GUI may thenshow contextual information such as a turn signal.

The progress information may function to provide information on thetravel progress and/or status of a transportation provider to a meetingplace with a transportation requestor. In some examples, the progressinformation may include, without limitation, information relating to atransportation provider's location, bearing, speed, acceleration, travelroute, direction, cornering, video and/or audio collected fromin-vehicle sensors, traffic conditions near the transportation provider,road conditions, and weather conditions.

In some examples, the contextual information may function to provideinformation which explains the travel progress or status of atransportation provider to a transportation requestor. The contextualinformation may be generated from data which is acquired, simulated,computed, estimated, or a combination thereof. The contextualinformation may include, without limitation, a transportation provider'sposition, speed, acceleration, travel route, bearing, direction, andvehicle conditions (e.g., braking, cornering, etc.). The contextualinformation may from generated from data various sources including,without limitation, a transportation provider's device, a transportationprovider's vehicle, a nearby transportation provider's device, a nearbytransportation provider's vehicle, and traffic-sensing infrastructure(e.g., electronic toll collection system, road transponders, etc.).

Any of a variety of conditions may trigger the use of contextualinformation to enhance the graphical representation of thetransportation provider's progress within the GUI. In some examples, atransportation provider may experience reduced travel progress due totraffic congestion, weather conditions, or road construction. Displayingof contextual information may be triggered when the travel progress isreduced or when the speed of the transportation provider falls below athreshold. The speed threshold may be variable and may be set as anabsolute value or set as a value relative to the speed limit on the roadsection being traveled by the transportation provider. The progressinformation manager (described in more detail below) may compare thethreshold to an average speed of the transportation provider or aninstantaneous speed.

As described above, the transportation provider may send progressinformation and/or contextual information to the transportationrequestor's device. The progress information may be sent over acommunication link from the transportation provider to thetransportation requestor's device. The progress information may be sentthrough various network nodes (e.g., packet gateways, back-end servers)before being received by the transportation requestor. The communicationlink may function to transmit and receive data and/or informationrelating to progress information and contextual information. Thecommunication link may be wireless and include cellular communicationwhich uses at least one of Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long TermEvolution-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Universal MobileTelecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Broadband (WiBro), or GlobalSystem for Mobile Communication (GSM), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi),Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Power (BLE), Zigbee, Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V),or Near Field Communication (NFC). In some examples, the progressinformation may not be received by the transportation requestor. Theprogress information may not be received by the transportation requestordue to various causes including, without limitation, a failure of thecommunication link, the transportation provider not being able to sendthe progress information, or the transportation provider not being ableto obtain the progress information (e.g., loss of GPS signal).

In some examples, when a transportation requestor is unable to receiveprogress information, the transportation requestor may receivecontextual information in order to monitor the transportation provider'sprogress. The GUI may represent the contextual information as ananimation of the travel progress of the transportation provider. In someexamples, the transportation provider may monitor the progress of atransportation provider based on progress information and represented inthe GUI as a first icon, stop receiving the progress information, beginreceiving contextual information and switch to monitoring the progressof a transportation provider based on the contextual informationrepresented in the GUI as a second icon, which is represented differentfrom the first icon.

In some examples, the contextual information may include informationthat simulates and/or emulates the actual travel progress of thetransportation provider. The contextual information that simulates theactual travel progress of the transportation provider may be computedbased on various sources of data including, without limitation, roadspeed limit data, navigation route data, historical transportationprovider data, other nearby transportation provider data, crowd sourceddata, road sensor data, and toll collection system (e.g., EZ pass) data.

In some examples, the contextual information may function to provideinformation on a pickup location for the transportation requestor. Whena transportation requestor sends a location for a transportation requestpickup, the transportation requestor may receive contextual informationwhich shows a nearby location as the pickup location. In some examples,the nearby location may be a location that complies with local trafficlaws or increases the safety and/or convenience of the pickup for thetransportation requestor and/or the transportation provider. Adjustingthe pickup to a nearby location may avoid pickups in areas including,without limitation, bus stops, bicycle lanes, and no standing zones.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example of a transportation provider ina dynamic transportation network making slow travel progress withincongested traffic. As shown in FIG. 1, transportation provider 100 maytravel to a meeting location with a transportation requestor.Transportation provider 100 may travel at varying speeds to the meetinglocation. Along the route to the meeting location transportationprovider 100 may experience congested traffic condition 110 in whichcongested traffic condition 110 causes a reduction in the speed of thetransportation provider and a delay in arriving at the meeting location.A transportation requestor may monitor the travel progress oftransportation provider 100 when the transportation provider experiencesa delay. The transportation provider may desire contextual informationrelating to the existence of a delay and the cause of the delay.

FIG. 2 illustrates examples of a transportation provider device 200 anda transportation requestor device 210 receiving progress information. Asshown in FIG. 2, transportation provider device 200 may include a GUI,which may include street map 220 indicating the streets surrounding thetransportation provider. The GUI may include vehicle icon 240representing the transportation provider overlaid on street map 220. Ameeting location with the transportation requestor may be indicated bytext field 230. Transportation requestor device 210 may include a GUIwhich may include street map 250 indicating the streets surrounding thetransportation provider. The GUI may include vehicle icon 260representing the transportation provider overlaid on street map 250. TheGUI on transportation provider device 200 may update the location ofvehicle icon 240 overlaid on the map as the location of thetransportation provider changes due to travel progress towards themeeting location with the transportation requestor. The GUI ontransportation requestor device 210 may update the location of vehicleicon 260 overlaid on the map as the location of the transportationprovider changes due to travel progress towards a meeting location withthe transportation requestor. The location of vehicle icon 260 overlaidon map 250 may be based on the progress information received bytransportation requestor device 210.

FIG. 3 illustrates transportation provider device 300 and transportationrequestor device 310 receiving contextual information about a provider'stravel progress. As shown in FIG. 3, transportation provider device 300may include a GUI which may include street map 320 indicating thestreets surrounding the transportation provider. The GUI may includevehicle icon 340 representing the transportation provider overlaid onstreet map 320. A meeting location with the transportation requestor maybe indicated by text field 330. In some examples, transportationrequestor device 310 may no longer receive progress information relatingto the travel progress of a transportation provider as described above.Transportation requestor device 310 may include a GUI which may includestreet map 350 indicating the streets surrounding the transportationprovider. The GUI may include a first vehicle icon 360 representing thelocation of the transportation provider overlaid on street map 350before transportation requestor device 310 was not able to receiveprogress information. The GUI on the transportation requestor device 310may update the location of the transportation provider based oncontextual information received by the transportation provider device310. The GUI may enhance the graphical representation of thetransportation provider with second vehicle icon 380, which is differentfrom first vehicle icon 360.

FIG. 4 illustrates transportation provider device 400 and transportationrequestor device 410 displaying an animation associated with contextualinformation about a transportation provider's travel progress. As shownin FIG. 4 and described above with respect to FIG. 3, transportationrequestor device 410 may no longer receive progress information relatingto the travel progress of a transportation provider. Transportationprovider device 400 may include a GUI which may include street map 420indicating the streets surrounding the transportation provider. The GUImay include vehicle icon 440 representing the transportation provideroverlaid on street map 420. A meeting location with the transportationrequestor may be indicated by text field 430. Transportation requestordevice 410 may include a GUI which may include street map 450 indicatingthe streets surrounding the transportation provider. The GUI may includea first vehicle icon 460 representing the location of the transportationprovider overlaid on street map 450 before transportation requestordevice 410 was not able to receive progress information. The GUI on thetransportation requestor device 410 may animate the location of thetransportation provider based on contextual information received by thetransportation provider device 410. FIG. 4 differs from FIG. 3 in thatthe contextual information may include an updated prediction of thelocation of the transportation provider. FIG. 4 also shows the animationmay periodically update the location of the transportation provider onthe map 450 using an enhanced graphical representation of thetransportation provider. The enhanced graphical representation of thetransportation provider may be second vehicle icon 480, which isdifferent from first vehicle icon 460.

FIG. 5 illustrates transportation provider device 500 and transportationrequestor device 510 displaying contextual information about aprovider's slow travel progress. As shown in FIG. 5, transportationprovider device 500 may include a GUI, which may include street map 520indicating the streets surrounding the transportation provider. The GUImay include vehicle icon 540 representing the transportation provideroverlaid on street map 520. The meeting location with the transportationrequestor may be indicated by text field 530. Transportation requestordevice 510 may include a GUI which may include street map 550 indicatingthe streets surrounding the transportation provider. The GUI may includeenhanced vehicle icon 590 representing the transportation provideroverlaid on street map 550. The GUI on transportation provider device500 may update the location of vehicle icon 540 overlaid on the map asthe location of the transportation provider changes due to travelprogress towards a meeting location with the transportation requestor.The GUI on transportation requestor device 510 may enhance the graphicalrepresentation of the transportation provider by enhancing enhancedvehicle icon 590 based on contextual information. In some examples, whenthe contextual information indicates the transportation provider'stravel progress has slowed, enhanced vehicle icon 590 may be shown withilluminated brake lights 595.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an of an example system for providingprogress information and contextual information to a graphical userinterface in a transportation requestor's device. As shown in FIG. 6,system 600 may include progress information management system 602configured with progress information manager 604, contextual informationmanager 606, and graphical user interface manager 608. System 600 mayinclude network 610, network 612, transportation providers 614, 616,618, transportation requestor device 624, and communication links 620,622. In some examples, transportation providers 614, 616, and 618 mayprovide transportation services to transportation requestors in adynamic transportation network. Transportation providers 614, 616, and618 may send progress information relating to the location and/orconditions of transportation providers 614, 616, and 618 respectivelythrough network 610 to progress information manager 604. Transportationrequestor device 624 may receive progress information and contextualinformation through network 612 over communication link 622. In someexamples, transportation provider 614 may be matched to a transportationrequestor which uses transportation requestor device 624. Transportationprovider 614 may provide progress information over communication link620 to progress information manager 604. Contextual information manager606 may generate contextual information based on various sources ofinformation including, without limitation, information from progressinformation manager 604. Graphical user interface manager 608 mayenhance the graphical representation of the contextual information andprovide the enhanced graphical representation through network 612 overcommunication link 622 to transportation requestor device 624.Contextual information manager 606 may generate contextual informationbased on the conditions described above including the loss ofcommunication over communication links 620 and/or 622. In some examples,progress information management system 602 may be implemented by aserver, a computer, a smart phone, a vehicle, or a combination thereof.In some examples, certain contextual information elements may begenerated in a server and certain other contextual information elementsmay be generated in transportation requestor device 624. In someexamples, a contextual information manager 606 may receive and/orgenerate data (e.g., speed limit data, weather data, traffic conditiondata) related to an estimated location of a matched transportationprovider and provide the generated data to transportation requestordevice 624. Transportation requestor device 624 may then generate theestimated location based on the data provided by the server. In someexamples, transportation requestor device 624 may also overlay theestimated location of the matched transportation provider on a map. Insome examples, transportation requestor device 624 may implement certainfunctions of graphical user interface manager 608. Transportationrequestor device 624 may receive contextual information from a server,generate contextual information from data received from a server, or acombination thereof, and generate graphics and/or enhanced graphics fordisplaying on transportation requestor device 624. FIG. 7 is a flowdiagram of an example method 700 for enhancing a graphical userinterface of a transportation requestor device with a graphicalrepresentation of contextual information associated with atransportation provider's travel progress. As shown in FIG. 7, themethod may include, at step 710, receiving, by a transportationrequestor device, progress information that indicates progress of atransportation provider toward a request location. At step 720, themethod may include presenting, via a graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device, the progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location with a graphical representation ofthe transportation provider according to the progress information. Atstep 730, the method may include receiving, by the transportationrequestor device, contextual information from a server that explains theprogress of the transportation provider as indicated by the progressinformation. At step 740, the method may include changing, via thegraphical user interface of the transportation requestor device, thegraphical representation of the transportation provider with a graphicalrepresentation of the contextual information.

In one example, a computer-implemented method may include receiving, bya transportation requestor device, progress information that indicatesprogress of a transportation provider toward a request location. In someexamples, the method may further include presenting, via a graphicaluser interface of the transportation requestor device, the progress ofthe transportation provider toward the request location with a graphicalrepresentation of the transportation provider according to the progressinformation. In some examples, the method may further include receiving,by the transportation requestor device, contextual information from aserver that explains the progress of the transportation provider asindicated by the progress information. In some examples, the method mayfurther include changing, via the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device, the graphical representation of thetransportation provider with a graphical representation of thecontextual information.

In some examples, the contextual information may explain a diminishedprogress of the transportation provider.

In some examples, the graphical representation of the transportationprovider may be a first icon displayed within the graphical userinterface of the transportation requestor device. In some examples, thegraphical representation of the contextual information may be a secondicon displayed within the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device, and the first icon may be different from the secondicon.

In some examples, the graphical representation of the contextualinformation may be displayed within the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device as an icon representing a vehicle withilluminated brake lights.

In some examples, the contextual information may include trafficcongestion near the transportation provider.

In some examples, the method may further include sending, by thetransportation provider to the transportation requestor device, theprogress information over a communication link on a periodic basis. Insome examples, the method may further include determining that theprogress information is not received by the server. In some examples,the method may further include determining that the progress informationis not received by the transportation requestor device. In someexamples, the method may further include presenting, via a graphicaluser interface of the transportation requestor device, a graphicalrepresentation that indicates that the progress information is notreceived by the transportation requestor device.

In some examples, the graphical representation of the contextualinformation may be displayed within the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device when the speed of the transportationprovider is less than a threshold.

In some examples, when the progress information is not received by theserver, the graphical representation of the contextual information mayinclude an animation of an expected progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location.

In some examples, determining that the progress information is notreceived by the server may be based on the progress information notbeing received for a period of time that exceeds a threshold.

In some examples, the contextual information may include informationbased on not receiving progress information from the transportationprovider.

In some examples, the contextual information may be based on trafficconditions of roads associated with a route between the transportationprovider and the request location. In some examples, the trafficconditions may be generated by at least one of real-time traffic dataand historical traffic data.

In one example, a system may include one or more physical processors andone or more memories coupled to one or more of the physical processors,the one or more memories may include instructions operable when executedby the one or more physical processors to cause the system to performoperations including determining a level of availability oftransportation providers in a dynamic transportation network to fulfilltransportation requests. In some examples, the operations may furtherinclude receiving, by a transportation requestor device, progressinformation that indicates progress of a transportation provider towarda request location with a transportation requestor. In some examples,the operations may further include presenting, via a graphical userinterface of the transportation requestor device, the progress of thetransportation provider toward the request location with a graphicalrepresentation of the transportation provider according to the progressinformation. In some examples, the operations may further includereceiving, by the transportation requestor device, contextualinformation from a server that explains the progress of thetransportation provider as indicated by the progress information. Insome examples, the operations may further include changing, via thegraphical user interface of the transportation requestor device, thegraphical representation of the transportation provider with a graphicalrepresentation of the contextual information.

In some examples, the contextual information may explain a diminishedprogress of the transportation provider.

In some examples, the graphical representation of the transportationprovider may be a first icon displayed within the graphical userinterface of the transportation requestor device. In some examples, thegraphical representation of the contextual information may be a secondicon displayed within the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device, and the first icon may be different from the secondicon.

In some examples, the graphical representation of the contextualinformation may be displayed within the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device as an icon representing a vehicle withilluminated brake lights.

In some examples, the contextual information may include trafficcongestion near the transportation provider.

In some examples, the operations may further include sending, by thetransportation provider to the transportation requestor device, theprogress information over a communication link on a periodic basis. Insome examples, the operations may further include determining that theprogress information is not received by the server. In some examples,the method may further include determining that the progress informationis not received by the transportation requestor device. In someexamples, the method may further include presenting, via a graphicaluser interface of the transportation requestor device, a graphicalrepresentation that indicates that the progress information is notreceived by the transportation requestor device.

In some examples, the graphical representation of the contextualinformation may be displayed within the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device when the speed of the transportationprovider is less than a threshold.

In some examples, when the progress information is not received by theserver, the graphical representation of the contextual information mayinclude an animation of an expected progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location.

In one example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium mayinclude computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at leastone processor of a computing device, cause the computing device toreceive, by a transportation requestor device, progress information thatindicates progress of a transportation provider toward a requestlocation. In some examples, the instructions may further cause thecomputing device to present, via a graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device, the progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location with a graphical representation ofthe transportation provider according to the progress information. Insome examples, the instructions may further cause the computing deviceto receive, by the transportation requestor device, contextualinformation from a server that explains the progress of thetransportation provider as indicated by the progress information. Insome examples, the instructions may further cause the computing deviceto enhance, via the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device, the graphical representation of the transportationprovider with a graphical representation of the contextual information.

In some examples, presenting progress information and contextualinformation about a transportation provider's travel progress towards ameeting request location with a transportation requestor may increase asatisfaction level of the transportation requestor about thetransportation service.

Embodiments of the instant disclosure may include or be implemented inconjunction with a dynamic transportation matching system. Atransportation matching system may arrange rides on an on-demand and/orad-hoc basis by, e.g., matching one or more ride requestors with one ormore ride providers. For example, a transportation matching system mayprovide one or more transportation matching services for a ridesharingservice, a ridesourcing service, a taxicab service, a car-bookingservice, an autonomous vehicle service, or some combination and/orderivative thereof. The transportation matching system may includeand/or interface with any of a variety of subsystems that may implement,support, and/or improve a transportation matching service. For example,the transportation matching system may include a matching system (e.g.,that matches requestors to ride opportunities and/or that arranges forrequestors and/or providers to meet), a mapping system, a navigationsystem (e.g., to help a provider reach a requestor, to help a requestorreach a provider, and/or to help a provider reach a destination), areputation system (e.g., to rate and/or gauge the trustworthiness of arequestor and/or a provider), a payment system, and/or an autonomous orsemi-autonomous driving system. The transportation matching system maybe implemented on various platforms, including a requestor-owned mobiledevice, a computing system installed in a vehicle, a server computersystem, or any other hardware platform capable of providingtransportation matching services to one or more requestors and/orproviders.

FIG. 8 shows a transportation management environment 800, in accordancewith various embodiments. As shown in FIG. 8, a transportationmanagement system 802 may run one or more services and/or softwareapplications, including identity management services 804, locationservices 806, ride services 808, and/or other services. Although FIG. 8shows a certain number of services provided by transportation managementsystem 802, more or fewer services may be provided in variousimplementations. In addition, although FIG. 8 shows these services asbeing provided by transportation management system 802, all or a portionof any of the services may be processed in a distributed fashion. Forexample, computations associated with a service task may be performed bya combination of transportation management system 802 (including anynumber of servers, databases, etc.), one or more devices associated witha provider (e.g., devices integrated with managed vehicles 814,provider's computing devices 816 and tablets 820, and transportationmanagement vehicle devices 818), and/or more or more devices associatedwith a ride requestor (e.g., the requestor's computing devices 824 andtablets 822). In some embodiments, transportation management system 802may include one or more general purpose computers, server computers,clustered computing systems, cloud-based computing systems, and/or anyother computing systems or arrangements of computing systems.Transportation management system 802 may be configured to run any or allof the services and/or software components described herein. In someembodiments, the transportation management system 802 may include anappropriate operating system and/or various server applications, such asweb servers capable of handling hypertext transport protocol (HTTP)requests, file transfer protocol (FTP) servers, database servers, etc.

In some embodiments, identity management services 804 may be configuredto perform authorization services for requestors and providers and/ormanage their interactions and/or data with transportation managementsystem 802. This may include, e.g., authenticating the identity ofproviders and determining that they are authorized to provide servicesthrough transportation management system 802. Similarly, requestors'identities may be authenticated to determine whether they are authorizedto receive the requested services through transportation managementsystem 802. Identity management services 804 may also manage and/orcontrol access to provider and/or requestor data maintained bytransportation management system 802, such as driving and/or ridehistories, vehicle data, personal data, preferences, usage patterns as aride provider and/or as a ride requestor, profile pictures, linkedthird-party accounts (e.g., credentials for music and/or entertainmentservices, social-networking systems, calendar systems, task-managementsystems, etc.) and any other associated information. Transportationmanagement system 802 may also manage and/or control access to providerand/or requestor data stored with and/or obtained from third-partysystems. For example, a requester or provider may grant transportationmanagement system 802 access to a third-party email, calendar, or taskmanagement system (e.g., via the user's credentials). As anotherexample, a requestor or provider may grant, through a mobile device(e.g., 816, 820, 822, or 824), a transportation application associatedwith transportation management system 802 access to data provided byother applications installed on the mobile device. In some examples,such data may be processed on the client and/or uploaded totransportation management system 802 for processing.

In some embodiments, transportation management system 802 may provideride services 808, which may include ride matching and/or managementservices to connect a requestor to a provider. For example, afteridentity management services module 804 has authenticated the identity aride requestor, ride services module 808 may attempt to match therequestor with one or more ride providers. In some embodiments, rideservices module 808 may identify an appropriate provider using locationdata obtained from location services module 806. Ride services module808 may use the location data to identify providers who aregeographically close to the requestor (e.g., within a certain thresholddistance or travel time) and/or who are otherwise a good match with therequestor. Ride services module 808 may implement matching algorithmsthat score providers based on, e.g., preferences of providers andrequestors; vehicle features, amenities, condition, and/or status;providers' preferred general travel direction and/or route, range oftravel, and/or availability; requestors' origination and destinationlocations, time constraints, and/or vehicle feature needs; and any otherpertinent information for matching requestors with providers. In someembodiments, ride services module 808 may use rule-based algorithmsand/or machine-learning models for matching requestors and providers.

Transportation management system 802 may communicatively connect tovarious devices through networks 810 and/or 812. Networks 810 and 812may include any combination of interconnected networks configured tosend and/or receive data communications using various communicationprotocols and transmission technologies. In some embodiments, networks810 and/or 812 may include local area networks (LANs), wide-areanetworks (WANs), and/or the Internet, and may support communicationprotocols such as transmission control protocol/Internet protocol(TCP/IP), Internet packet exchange (IPX), systems network architecture(SNA), and/or any other suitable network protocols. In some embodiments,data may be transmitted through networks 810 and/or 812 using a mobilenetwork (such as a mobile telephone network, cellular network, satellitenetwork, or other mobile network), a public switched telephone network(PSTN), wired communication protocols (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB),Controller Area Network (CAN)), and/or wireless communication protocols(e.g., wireless LAN (WLAN) technologies implementing the IEEE 802.11family of standards, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Near FieldCommunication (NFC), Z-Wave, and ZigBee). In various embodiments,networks 810 and/or 812 may include any combination of networksdescribed herein or any other type of network capable of facilitatingcommunication across networks 810 and/or 812.

In some embodiments, transportation management vehicle device 818 mayinclude a provider communication device configured to communicate withusers, such as drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and/or other users. Insome embodiments, transportation management vehicle device 818 maycommunicate directly with transportation management system 802 orthrough another provider computing device, such as provider computingdevice 816. In some embodiments, a requestor computing device (e.g.,device 824) may communicate via a connection 826 directly withtransportation management vehicle device 818 via a communication channeland/or connection, such as a peer-to-peer connection, Bluetoothconnection, NFC connection, ad hoc wireless network, and/or any othercommunication channel or connection. Although FIG. 8 shows particulardevices communicating with transportation management system 802 overnetworks 810 and 812, in various embodiments, transportation managementsystem 802 may expose an interface, such as an application programminginterface (API) or service provider interface (SPI) to enable variousthird parties which may serve as an intermediary between end users andtransportation management system 802.

In some embodiments, devices within a vehicle may be interconnected. Forexample, any combination of the following may be communicativelyconnected: vehicle 814, provider computing device 816, provider tablet820, transportation management vehicle device 818, requestor computingdevice 824, requestor tablet 822, and any other device (e.g., smartwatch, smart tags, etc.). For example, transportation management vehicledevice 818 may be communicatively connected to provider computing device816 and/or requestor computing device 824. Transportation managementvehicle device 818 may establish communicative connections, such asconnections 826 and 828, to those devices via any suitable communicationtechnology, including, e.g., WLAN technologies implementing the IEEE802.11 family of standards, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, NFC,Z-Wave, ZigBee, and any other suitable short-range wirelesscommunication technology.

In some embodiments, users may utilize and interface with one or moreservices provided by the transportation management system 802 usingapplications executing on their respective computing devices (e.g., 816,818, 820, and/or a computing device integrated within vehicle 814),which may include mobile devices (e.g., an iPhone®, an iPad®, mobiletelephone, tablet computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA)),laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses, headmounted displays, etc.), thin client devices, gaming consoles, and anyother computing devices. In some embodiments, vehicle 814 may include avehicle-integrated computing device, such as a vehicle navigationsystem, or other computing device integrated with the vehicle itself,such as the management system of an autonomous vehicle. The computingdevice may run on any suitable operating systems, such as Android®,iOS®, macOS®, Windows®, Linux®, UNIX®, or UNIX®-based or Linux®-basedoperating systems, or other operating systems. The computing device mayfurther be configured to send and receive data over the Internet, shortmessage service (SMS), email, and various other messaging applicationsand/or communication protocols. In some embodiments, one or moresoftware applications may be installed on the computing device of aprovider or requestor, including an application associated withtransportation management system 802. The transportation applicationmay, for example, be distributed by an entity associated with thetransportation management system via any distribution channel, such asan online source from which applications may be downloaded. Additionalthird-party applications unassociated with the transportation managementsystem may also be installed on the computing device. In someembodiments, the transportation application may communicate or sharedata and resources with one or more of the installed third-partyapplications.

FIG. 9 shows a data collection and application management environment900, in accordance with various embodiments. As shown in FIG. 9,management system 902 may be configured to collect data from variousdata collection devices 904 through a data collection interface 906. Asdiscussed above, management system 902 may include one or more computersand/or servers or any combination thereof. Data collection devices 904may include, but are not limited to, user devices (including providerand requestor computing devices, such as those discussed above),provider communication devices, laptop or desktop computers, vehicledata (e.g., from sensors integrated into or otherwise connected tovehicles), ground-based or satellite-based sources (e.g., location data,traffic data, weather data, etc.), or other sensor data (e.g., roadwayembedded sensors, traffic sensors, etc.). Data collection interface 906can include, e.g., an extensible device framework configured to supportinterfaces for each data collection device. In various embodiments, datacollection interface 906 may be extended to support new data collectiondevices as they are released and/or to update existing interfaces tosupport changes to existing data collection devices. In variousembodiments, data collection devices may communicate with datacollection interface 906 over one or more networks. The networks mayinclude any network or communication protocol as would be recognized byone of ordinary skill in the art, including those networks discussedabove.

As shown in FIG. 9, data received from data collection devices 904 canbe stored in data store 908. Data store 908 may include one or more datastores, such as databases, object storage systems and services,cloud-based storage services, and other data stores. For example,various data stores may be implemented on a non-transitory storagemedium accessible to management system 902, such as historical datastore 910, ride data store 912, and user data store 914. Data stores 908can be local to management system 902, or remote and accessible over anetwork, such as those networks discussed above or a storage-areanetwork or other networked storage system. In various embodiments,historical data 910 may include historical traffic data, weather data,request data, road condition data, or any other data for a given regionor regions received from various data collection devices. Ride data 912may include route data, request data, timing data, and other riderelated data, in aggregate and/or by requestor or provider. User data914 may include user account data, preferences, location history, andother user-specific data. Although certain data stores are shown by wayof example, any data collected and/or stored according to the variousembodiments described herein may be stored in data stores 908.

As shown in FIG. 9, an application interface 916 can be provided bymanagement system 902 to enable various apps 918 to access data and/orservices available through management system 902. Apps 918 may run onvarious user devices (including provider and requestor computingdevices, such as those discussed above) and/or may include cloud-basedor other distributed apps configured to run across various devices(e.g., computers, servers, or combinations thereof). Apps 918 mayinclude, e.g., aggregation and/or reporting apps which may utilize data908 to provide various services (e.g., third-party ride request andmanagement apps). In various embodiments, application interface 916 caninclude an API and/or SPI enabling third party development of apps 918.In some embodiments, application interface 916 may include a webinterface, enabling web-based access to data 908 and/or servicesprovided by management system 902. In various embodiments, apps 918 mayrun on devices configured to communicate with application interface 916over one or more networks. The networks may include any network orcommunication protocol as would be recognized by one of ordinary skillin the art, including those networks discussed above, in accordance withan embodiment of the present disclosure.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure are described interms of a ridesharing service in which the ride providers are humandrivers operating their own vehicles, in other embodiments, thetechniques described herein may also be used in environments in whichride requests are fulfilled using autonomous vehicles. For example, atransportation management system of a ridesharing service may facilitatethe fulfillment of ride requests using both human drivers and autonomousvehicles.

As detailed above, the computing devices and systems described and/orillustrated herein broadly represent any type or form of computingdevice or system capable of executing computer-readable instructions,such as those contained within the modules described herein. In theirmost basic configuration, these computing device(s) may each include atleast one memory device and at least one physical processor.

In some examples, the term “memory device” generally refers to any typeor form of volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium capable ofstoring data and/or computer-readable instructions. In one example, amemory device may store, load, and/or maintain one or more of themodules described herein. Examples of memory devices include, withoutlimitation, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flashmemory, Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), Solid-State Drives (SSDs), optical diskdrives, caches, variations or combinations of one or more of the same,or any other suitable storage memory.

In some examples, the term “physical processor” generally refers to anytype or form of hardware-implemented processing unit capable ofinterpreting and/or executing computer-readable instructions. In oneexample, a physical processor may access and/or modify one or moremodules stored in the above-described memory device. Examples ofphysical processors include, without limitation, microprocessors,microcontrollers, Central Processing Units (CPUs), Field-ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs) that implement softcore processors,Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), portions of one ormore of the same, variations or combinations of one or more of the same,or any other suitable physical processor.

Although illustrated as separate elements, the modules described and/orillustrated herein may represent portions of a single module orapplication. In addition, in certain embodiments one or more of thesemodules may represent one or more software applications or programsthat, when executed by a computing device, may cause the computingdevice to perform one or more tasks. For example, one or more of themodules described and/or illustrated herein may represent modules storedand configured to run on one or more of the computing devices or systemsdescribed and/or illustrated herein. One or more of these modules mayalso represent all or portions of one or more special-purpose computersconfigured to perform one or more tasks.

In addition, one or more of the modules described herein may transformdata, physical devices, and/or representations of physical devices fromone form to another. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of themodules recited herein may transform a processor, volatile memory,non-volatile memory, and/or any other portion of a physical computingdevice from one form to another by executing on the computing device,storing data on the computing device, and/or otherwise interacting withthe computing device.

In some embodiments, the term “computer-readable medium” generallyrefers to any form of device, carrier, or medium capable of storing orcarrying computer-readable instructions. Examples of computer-readablemedia include, without limitation, transmission-type media, such ascarrier waves, and non-transitory-type media, such as magnetic-storagemedia (e.g., hard disk drives, tape drives, and floppy disks),optical-storage media (e.g., Compact Disks (CDs), Digital Video Disks(DVDs), and BLU-RAY disks), electronic-storage media (e.g., solid-statedrives and flash media), and other distribution systems.

The process parameters and sequence of the steps described and/orillustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied asdesired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or describedherein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps donot necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated ordiscussed. The various exemplary methods described and/or illustratedherein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustratedherein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed.

The preceding description has been provided to enable others skilled inthe art to best utilize various aspects of the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed herein. This exemplary description is not intended to beexhaustive or to be limited to any precise form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible without departing from thespirit and scope of the instant disclosure. The embodiments disclosedherein should be considered in all respects illustrative and notrestrictive. Reference should be made to the appended claims and theirequivalents in determining the scope of the instant disclosure.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms “connected to” and “coupled to” (andtheir derivatives), as used in the specification and claims, are to beconstrued as permitting both direct and indirect (e.g., via otherelements or components) connection. In addition, the terms “a” or “an,”as used in the specification and claims, are to be construed as meaning“at least one of.” Finally, for ease of use, the terms “including” and“having” (and their derivatives), as used in the specification andclaims, are interchangeable with and have the same meaning as the word“comprising.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, by a transportation requestor device, progress informationthat indicates progress of a transportation provider toward a requestlocation; presenting, via a graphical user interface associated with thetransportation requestor device, the progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location with a graphical representation ofthe transportation provider according to the progress information;receiving, by the transportation requestor device, contextualinformation from a server that explains the progress of thetransportation provider as indicated by the progress information; andchanging, via the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device, the graphical representation of the transportationprovider with a graphical representation of the contextual information.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the contextualinformation explains a diminished progress of the transportationprovider.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thegraphical representation of the transportation provider is a first icondisplayed within the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device; and the graphical representation of the contextualinformation is a second icon displayed within the graphical userinterface of the transportation requestor device, wherein the first iconis different from the second icon.
 4. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the contextualinformation is displayed within the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device as an icon representing a vehicle withilluminated brake lights.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the contextual information comprises traffic congestion near thetransportation provider.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the graphical representation of the contextual information isdisplayed within the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device when a speed of the transportation provider is lessthan a threshold.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinthe server is configured to receive the progress information from thetransportation provider over a communication link on a periodic basisand further comprising: determining that the progress information is notreceived by the server; and presenting, via a graphical user interfaceof the transportation requestor device, a graphical representation thatindicates that the progress information is not received by the server.8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein, when theprogress information is not received by the server, the graphicalrepresentation of the contextual information comprises an animation ofan expected progress of the transportation provider toward the requestlocation.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein thecontextual information comprises information based on not receivingprogress information from the transportation provider.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein: the contextualinformation is based on traffic conditions of roads associated with aroute between the transportation provider and the request location; andthe traffic conditions are generated by at least one of real-timetraffic data and historical traffic data.
 11. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 7, wherein determining that the progress information isnot received by the server is based on the progress information notbeing received for a period of time that exceeds a threshold.
 12. Asystem comprising one or more physical processors and one or morememories coupled to one or more of the physical processors, the one ormore memories comprising instructions operable when executed by the oneor more physical processors to cause the system to perform operationscomprising: receiving, by a transportation requestor device, progressinformation that indicates progress of a transportation provider towarda request location; presenting, via a graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device, the progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location with a graphical representation ofthe transportation provider according to the progress information;receiving, by the transportation requestor device, contextualinformation from a server that explains the progress of thetransportation provider as indicated by the progress information; andchanging, via the graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device, the graphical representation of the transportationprovider with a graphical representation of the contextual information.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the contextual information explainsa diminished progress of the transportation provider.
 14. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the graphical representation of the transportationprovider is a first icon displayed within the graphical user interfaceof the transportation requestor device; and the graphical representationof the contextual information is a second icon displayed within thegraphical user interface of the transportation requestor device, whereinthe first icon is different from the second icon.
 15. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the graphical representation of the contextualinformation is displayed within the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device as an icon representing a vehicle withilluminated brake lights.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein thecontextual information comprises traffic congestion near thetransportation provider.
 17. The system of claim 12, wherein thegraphical representation of the contextual information is displayedwithin the graphical user interface of the transportation requestordevice when the speed of the transportation provider is less than athreshold.
 18. The system of claim 12, wherein the server is configuredto receive the progress information from the transportation providerover a communication link on a periodic basis and further comprising:determining that the progress information is not received by the server;and presenting, via a graphical user interface of the transportationrequestor device, a graphical representation that indicates that theprogress information is not received by the server.
 19. The system ofclaim 18, wherein, when the progress information is not received by theserver, the graphical representation of the contextual informationcomprises an animation of an expected progress of the transportationprovider toward the request location.
 20. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readableinstructions that, when executed by at least one processor of acomputing device, cause the computing device to: receive, by atransportation requestor device, progress information that indicatesprogress of a transportation provider toward a request location;present, via a graphical user interface of the transportation requestordevice, the progress of the transportation provider toward the requestlocation with a graphical representation of the transportation provideraccording to the progress information; receive, by the transportationrequestor device, contextual information from a server that explains theprogress of the transportation provider as indicated by the progressinformation; and change, via the graphical user interface of thetransportation requestor device, the graphical representation of thetransportation provider with a graphical representation of thecontextual information.